A Pimpri-Chinchwad resident arriving from Bangkok was caught with over ₹6 crore worth of high-grade cannabis at Pune International Airport.
Customs officials seized 6.144 kg of hydroponic weed concealed in 12 sealed packets; the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.
This is the second such case in two weeks, raising concerns about international drug smuggling via air passengers to Pune.
Pune, 7th August 2025: Customs officials at Pune International Airport have seized high-quality cannabis worth over ₹6 crore from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok on Tuesday. The man, identified as Atul Sushil Hivale (43), a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad, was arrested on the spot.
Hivale had landed at the Pune airport on a private airline flight from Bangkok. Based on his suspicious behaviour, customs officials conducted a thorough check of his luggage. During the inspection, they found 12 sealed packets inside his bag, containing a green, strong-smelling dried substance. Preliminary tests confirmed it to be hydroponic weed, a potent and high-grade variety of cannabis.
The seized quantity weighed 6.144 kg, and its value in the illegal market is estimated at over ₹6 crore. A case has been filed against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He was produced before a local court and has been sent to judicial custody.
This is the second such incident reported at Pune airport in the last two weeks. In a similar case last month, another passenger from Bangkok was caught carrying 10.47 kg of hydroponic cannabis, valued at around ₹10.5 crore in the black market.
These repeated seizures have raised suspicions about a larger drug trafficking operation using international air routes. Authorities are now investigating whether an organized network is using airline passengers to smuggle narcotics into the country through Pune.
